October « 2008 « floydius

30Oct/085

halloween funsies

I know it's been a few weeks since I've updated, and I'm getting back on track here. Thanks for caring, though!

I decided to carve some pumpkins for Halloween this year, and here are the results:

Run o' the mill scary pumpkin.

The official Ron Paul 2012 Jack-o-lantern

The fantastic Ron Paul Jack-o-lantern

Tagged as: Ron Paul, why i need a wife 5 Comments

6Oct/086

buckle up.

I remembered reading this transcript back in May before I moved back up here to Searcy, when I was still just a fledgling conspiracy theorist:

Here's the thing I want you to watch for. I want you to watch for a sudden fall in the price of oil. If you see oil spike downward to about $70 a barrel, $80 a barrel, if it goes from $110 to $80 a barrel, look out. It's counterintuitive but you have to remember that the price of oil is based on futures and so what could possibly happen, a bad sign. If it drifts back down slowly over a period of time, that's good. But if it suddenly drops down, what that means is that the conventional wisdom for the people who buy oil futures, these are the big -- you know, there's a lot of money. These people who are buying oil futures, what they're saying is the economy around the world is going to slow down so much that people won't be able to drive or fly as much as they have had to. They won't be able to afford the oil or the gasoline or the diesel. So demand will go way, way down for oil. That's what they will be betting on.

If you read the whole transcript, there's further exposition. I don't necessarily agree that we need to be hoarding food and gasoline like Glenn Beck does, but let me just ask you this -- anyone noticed a severe reduction in gas prices lately? How about the fact that oil, which passed the $100/barrel mark a long time back is now, all of the sudden, under $90/barrel?

Interesting.

Tagged as: finance 6 Comments

6Oct/080

calling all grammarians…

My good friend Philip has promised me a battle to the death regarding whether "funny's" is an allowable morphology when used as a plural for a newspaper comic. I, on the other hand, argue that such usage is nothing more than a grammatical abortion of the proper term (funnies).

I'm not so arrogant as to assume that I'm correct (that's a lie), and I enlist your help. So, go to Philip's post and leave him your thoughts. If you agree with him, then keep your thoughts to yourself. ; )

Tagged as: friends No Comments

4Oct/089

a new friend

Gresham,

We need to talk. I don't know how you're going to react to this, but I made a choice and I want to be honest with you. I met somebody new. It's not what you think; don't be upset! I'm not giving up on us, I just want to talk to new people. I really hope we can work this out.

Remember when we first met? It was in Greece. Things were great. I was so young, and you had so much to share. Your green and white cover was so attractive. You smelled nice. When you taught me the difference between proclitics and enclitics, I couldn't believe how smart you were. Remember movable Nu? Good times. Even through aorist participles and the six rules of accents, you were so patient with me. You even dedicated your work to your mother. You're so thoughtful. You're part of who I am today.

I'll admit, I haven't taken care of you like I should have. I didn't decorate you like some of my friends. I don't even know where your cover is now, but I kept you taped up as best I could. You're still wearing food and soda as a testament to our late night rendezvous. Whenever someone spoke poorly of you, I stood up for you! I still do. There aren't many who could understand you -- no -- love you... not like I do. The feelings are still strong after all these years.

The other day, I wandered into a class. I just wanted to feel like I was in the game again, you know? I wanted to have that thirst, and watch the new players beginning the journey. You aren't even there anymore. Can you believe that? They've got this new kid -- an old student of yours. I'll admit it; I enjoyed seeing someone younger give it a shot. The words are the same, but the tune is different. It's not bad... the talent is there. Don't hate me, Gresham. You spent time with plenty of others and I never held you to myself. If anything, I introduced you to whomever I could. You taught me well, too. Five years later, the lessons remain solid.

I'm going to be talking to the new kid. Don't think it means that I've forgotten you, or that you mean less to me! This isn't the end, it's just a new addition to the family. Can you accept that?

Whenever you need me, I'll be right here. After all, you've always been there for me.

Sincerely,

Lloyd

Silver

Gold

Tagged as: friends, Harding, linguistics 9 Comments

3Oct/081

there’s a sweet, sweet tea in this place

Tonight, I called up my best friend Brandon and his wife Joy to see if they wanted to go to dinner. This is a nice arrangement since they are two of my favorite people. Also, Claira comes with them, so I always have a cute date. (She doesn't talk much, and she's only thrown up on me once so far.)

Brandon wanted to try the new deli in town, McAllister's. Apparently, when a restaurant opens up with a brand new staff, they go through a test run, like a recital or something. I'd never heard of that before, but it seems like a good idea. Joy explained that they typically do this by invitation, but tonight they let us in anyway. Brandon always was a smooth talker.

Hands down, the best thing about this rehearsal dinner (beside the fact that it's not for a wedding) is that they provide free food... and there is a lot of food. I had veggie chili and a veggie baked potato. In retrospect, that was too much food. These baked potatoes are gigantic... easily as big as two or three of the normal-sized variety. For those who feel more carnivorous, there is a fine selection of roast beef, chicken, and even salmon. If you can manage to eat anything else when you're finished, you may also take on one of their eight desserts (yes, there is cheesecake, freaks).

I'm wagering the entire staff was on hand for this ordeal, because they were on the ball. I dare anyone to try and finish a glass of their sweet tea (of mythic proportions) before a server offers to refill it. I'm not kidding, three different servers offered us refills in the space of 60 seconds. As for the tea, it may not be Philip's addiction from Starbucks, but it's very good if you like Southern style sweet tea.

At the end of our meal, Yolonda and Haley (forgive me if I've misspelled the names) introduced themselves, asked how we enjoyed our meal, and then got to know us. In addition to her work with McAllister's, Yolanda runs a cleaning business and interacts with some of the Harding professors on a regular basis. Haley just returned from a year long mission trip in Honduras. I suspect I'll be seeing more of them, as I intend to return after they have their grand opening. Yolanda told me that they even offer free WiFi, so I can do my homework or stalk facebook from there.

If you have the opportunity, I recommend checking them out. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need get going... too much sweet tea.